Hiring Managers...Your leadership starts in the first job interview.

Interviewing for jobs is stressful.   Even for the most seasoned and savvy sales professional, it isn’t every day that a person sits down with a complete stranger and sells themselves.    The fact that everything a candidate says and does is being dissected and graded can be quite unnerving!  

As a recruiter, we get the unique perspective of partnering with both the hiring manager and the candidate.  We build relationships with both parties, then ultimately serve as a liaison and a sounding board during the entire interview process.  This process can be an emotional roller coaster for the candidate, and many times the recruiter is “riding shotgun” on that roller coaster.

What many hiring managers forget is how excited a job seeker can be through the various stages of the interview.   After all, a career change really is life altering...more money, more responsibility, and potentially a whole new lifestyle.    It is no wonder that job seekers are stressed out; over-analyzing every single interaction with the company. Positively speaking, this is a sign that they WANT THE JOB and have worked hard to get it...WHICH IS A GOOD THING!

That said, I want to IMPLORE all hiring managers to put themselves in the candidate’s shoes…to remember what it was like to be on the other side of the desk.   After all, we have all been there at some point in our career.

Managers, there are a several simple things you can do to show respect to the candidate while simultaneously enhancing your companies’ brand (and you own personal brand).

1. When a candidate is definitely NOT moving forward, alert the recruiter immediately to avoid giving false hope to the candidate.  This notice should occur within 24 hours of the interview.  This saves all parties time and energy, and can be done in a quick text (if needed).
2. When you meet a candidate face to face and they follow up with a thank you note, it is incredibly easy to send them a simple reply email.   This does NOT need to be time consuming. A quick reply shows that you respect their time…even if it is one sentence “boilerplate” response.
3. If you build a relationship with a person during a lengthy interview process, and that candidate is ultimately beaten out in a final interview, some type of personalized response is often called for.   This doesn’t need to be a phone call, but an acknowledgment of the time and energy the candidate put in goes a long way. You never know, this might serve you and the company well for future job opportunities.
4. Avoid leaving a candidate (or their recruiter) hanging after final interviews are complete.  If you are not in a position to give a verbal offer (due to HR requirements etc.) you can still provide an update so that no one feels like they have been “Ghosted”. When you find the right person for the job, waiting for an extended time period (more than 2 days) only plants seeds of doubt for the candidate.

If is often stated that “people don’t leave companies, they leave bad managers”.   If that is true, then wouldn’t it be safe to assume that "People join organizations because of great leaders".

Part of demonstrating your leadership capabilities starts the first day of the interview process.   Managers who understand this will have less issues with candidates backing out, candidates trying to negotiate unreasonable terms, and other hiring nightmares.   Establishing trust and respect during the interview process will ultimately benefit all parties.

Grow Your Vine! CrossVine Recruiting

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